Zamblé settles a tight San Diego night
San Diego FC needed a win. They got one. A single goal from Bryan Zamblé beat Club Tijuana 1-0 at a sold-out Snapdragon Stadium on Sunday night and handed the hosts their first points of the 2026 Leagues Cup.
The goal arrived in the 22nd minute, and it was born from a Tijuana mistake. Jesús Gómez tried to find Gilberto Mora with a pass across his own half. Alejandro Alvarado read it, stepped in, and started the move that finished in the net. Alvarado fed Anders Dreyer, kept running, took the return ball, and slid it to Zamblé. The 18-year-old had the simplest of finishes from close range.
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Xolos out, San Diego alive
One goal was enough because San Diego defended the lead with real discipline. Five minutes of stoppage time came and went without Tijuana finding a way through. The Xolos pushed bodies forward and still could not break a back line that refused to crack.
The result carries weight on both sides. Tijuana are done, eliminated from a tournament that never got going for them. San Diego keep their hopes of reaching the next round alive after a rough start. There is another number worth keeping in mind here. San Diego have now faced Tijuana four times across all competitions and have never lost. For a club still in its early years, owning that head-to-head against a Liga MX neighbour means something.
What comes next
Zamblé’s goal is the kind of moment young players build seasons around. He gambled on the space, trusted his teammates to find him, and did the hard part by staying calm. San Diego’s coaching staff will take the clean sheet just as happily. Shutting out a Mexican side in a knockout-style group, with a stadium full and nerves rising, says plenty about where this team is heading.
The road is not finished. San Diego still need results to go their way to climb into the knockout bracket, and the margins in this format are thin. For one night, a teenager’s finish and a stubborn defence were all they needed.
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